The present invention relates to a method of fabricating a head supporting member.
According to a float-up type magnetic disk apparatus, for many years there has been adopted a structure in which a twisted wire pair is attached to a head supporting member and the twisted wire pair is connected to a lead-out electrode (bump) of a magnetic head attached to the head supporting member by means of laser welding or the like. However, in accordance with small-sized formation of the magnetic head and a reduction in a float-up amount of the magnetic head, highly accurate weight balance is needed and therefore, a wiring integral magnetic head apparatus is desired.
Further, in recent years, there has been reduced into practice an FPC adhering type magnetic head apparatus in which wirings are separately fabricated as a flexible printed circuit board (hereinafter, referred to as FPC) and FPC is adhered to a head supporting member (suspension). The invention relates to the FPC adhering type magnetic head apparatus.
When the FPC adhering type magnetic head apparatus is fabricated, conventionally, FPC is affixed on a head supporting member supplied from a head supporting member fabricating maker. According to the head supporting member, a load beam is bent by a certain angle in order to apply load on the magnetic head and maintain a float-up amount of the magnetic head relative to a record medium such as a magnetic disk. The bending of the load beam is conventionally provided by a step referred to as gram load forming by the fabrication maker side.
The head supporting member subjected to the gram load forming is supplied from the maker to a magnetic head apparatus maker. The magnetic head apparatus maker affixes FPC on the head supporting member subjected to the gram load forming and mounts a thin film magnetic head thereto.
However, the head supporting member supplied to the magnetic head apparatus maker has already been subjected to the gram load forming and therefore, when FPC is affixed thereon, various problems are posed.
For example, when there is adopted steps of inclining the head supporter such that a face thereof for affixing FPC becomes horizontal and carrying FPC on the head supporting member while adsorbing FPC and affixing FPC thereon, there is needed a complicated mechanism such as a mechanism of inclinedly fixing the head supporting member, a mechanism of escaping FPC such that FPC does not overlap a flexible member (gimbal portion) of the head supporting member or the like and a deterioration in accuracy of affixing FPC is liable to bring about.
As other method, there is a method of flatly elongating the head supporting member subjected to the gram load forming by exerting mechanical coercive force and affixing FPC under the state. However, in this case, the head supporting member subjected to the gram load forming is elongated by exerting the mechanical coercive force and therefore, the load beam or the flexible member is mechanically damaged.
Further, when FPC is affixed on the head supporting member subjected to the gram load forming, at a bent portion of the load beam as well as its periphery, performance of adhering FPC to the load beam is deteriorated and exfoliation of FPC may be brought about.